Was it a shipwreck, or was it grounded and left to rot? No one really seems to know, this is the remains of a small cargo barge grounded on the end of one of the small islands at Dyke Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. It has been there for decades and decades.
Where have I been this week? Dyke Marsh on the Potomac, Mt. Vernon, Old Town Alexandria a couple of times, the farmers market, and a couple of days of not leaving home. Into Washington DC, a walk around the White House trying to see what is being torn down and built, I don't know what they are trying to hide, but they have built huge plywood walls making it impossible to see what they are hiding. I have never seen the White House so isolated. On Tuesday, out for a short drive with several stops to wander in stores, it was too cold and windy to walk outside.
Who have a talked to this week? My Sweet Bear, Amy, Ruth, Giuseppe, Larry, Susan, Ana, Rafael, Matt, Warren, Karen, Erica, Charlie, and Marcell.
What did I buy this week? A replacement lens for my cameras. My daily carry is a Nikon D5500 DSLR, I have two of them. My go to lens is Nikkor 18-200 DX series. The motor that moves lens elements back and forth for the auto focus function is in the lens and it is failing. I switched lenses around and isolated the problem. I can turn off autofocus. The focus ring on the lens is awkwardly placed, and my eyesight for focus is not what it was 50 years ago. Nikon has discontinued this series of cameras and lenses. I order a replacement from KEH in Atlanta, I have bought from them in the past and found them to be very reliable. In about 52 years of carrying cameras, this is only the second time I have replaced a lens, the other time I dropped a camera on a stone floor, in the Louvre in Paris, it landed lens down and parts fell out when I took the lens off.
What have I been up to in the kitchen? Stuffed cabbage, Pizza, Nicoise Salad, roast beef and veggies, beef stew.
What have I been writing? I am working on two articles for the ABA Senior Lawyers Division, one on the value of visiting people who are seriously ill, and one on planning independent travel.
What is happening with the arts group? We had a meeting last week asking association leadership if we could plug artwork into the power supply, and the answer was a very engaged yes. This opens the door for backlit displays such as stained glass or transparent materials, and also to a multi-media display for electronic arts. I hope we can encourage our neighbors to explore new media.
What did I overhear this week? I took the subway in and out of DC on Sunday. On the way out there was a couple sitting across from me, on their way to the airport to fly out to a conference. She was scrolling on her phone, she said, "it was three years ago today that we sold our car, I was worried that I would miss it, I really don't, it is nice to free of that burden." Living in a city with a good transit system, makes it possible for people to live well without the responsibility and expense of a car.
What was the dumbest idea someone came up with this week? HWSNBN and the trust fund billionaire grandson who is responsible for housing policy, floated the idea of offering 50 year home mortgages. On a $400,000 home, it would lower the monthly payment $200-$300 a month. It also nearly doubles the interest that would be paid on the mortgage over the term of the loan. We need to address other factors that are driving housing prices, not create perpetual payment plans that have the "buyer" never really owning the home. I urge people with a 30 year mortgage to make extra principal payments to get the mortgage paid off.
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